By Michael Donoghue, Vermont News First
SOUTH BURLINGTON — Chittenden County Sheriff Dan Gamelin said this week that he will seek re-election to another four-year term in the fall.
Gamelin heads one of the busiest and diverse law enforcement agencies in the state by transporting prisoners, serving court papers, conducting rural patrols, providing security at court and other sites and operating a new Street Crimes Unit that is trying to make a dent in the overwhelming growth in thefts from retail outlets in Chittenden County — the state’s economic engine.
And, Gamelin proudly points that all the work is done without the ability to levy any taxes on county residents for law enforcement. The department work is done through contracts and grants, the sheriff said.
Gamelin said he is willing to expand department services in the coming years to meet the growing needs of the county, but it may depend on finding additional deputies to fill shifts. Police agencies across Vermont are finding it hard to make hires.
He notes the department “has no liens, no loans and no debts.” The office is located on Ethan Allen Drive in South Burlington.
Gamelin has 30 sworn deputy sheriffs – 21 of them fulltime – that are performing various functions around the clock. The department has 25 police vehicles, most of them fully marked.
When he took over on Feb. 1, 2023 there were 12 fulltime deputies and 10 part-timers with 20 vehicles.
Gamelin, 64, lives in Colchester with his wife. They have two adult children and he has four siblings, including a twin brother.
The sheriff has a criminal justice degree from Champlain College and is a graduate of the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsford for fulltime officers.
Gamelin, who has spent 45 years in law enforcement, said the sheriff’s post was one of his goals during his professional career. He will be running again on the Democratic ticket.
The Winooski native learned about public safety at an early age as his father, George, served over 60 years with the city fire department, raising up to the rank of assistant chief. For Dan Gamelin, it was natural that Winooski Police would become his first stop in his law enforcement career in 1981 as a fulltime patrol officer.
Gamelin eventually jumped to the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department under Sheriff Ron “Butch” Duell. Gamelin worked his way up through the ranks as a sergeant and a lieutenant before running to replace retiring Sheriff Kevin McLaughlin, who endorsed him in 2022.
After his election, Gamelin created his Street Crimes Unit, which has helped take a bite out of crime, especially for retail thefts. The special unit has apprehended 889 thieves trying to steal from local merchants since January 2024. The deputies found 26 of the thieves had pending arrest warrants.
The deputies process the stealing cases for criminal court, although some don’t make it before a judge. The sheriff’s department also will serve trespass orders on the thieves ordering them not to return to the store or face arrest.
Several merchants, from a large chain grocery store to a bookstore have contracted with the Chittenden County Sheriff’s to have the unit help combat the large uptick in local shoplifting.
Gamelin said he also has four deputies assigned to the civil division that are allowed to use unmarked vehicles.
Gamelin said he prefers not to embarrass people with a deputy showing up in a fully marked or decorated cruiser to serve legal papers for a divorce, an eviction or other court happenings. His deputies attempt to serve papers discreetly, he said.
He said in some cases, the department needs to take a higher profile when recipients are combative. In those high-risk situations the department will send extra deputies to keep it peaceful.
He said the department has seven fulltime deputies assigned to transport prisoners for courts in Chittenden and Franklin Counties and more are pulled in as needed.
His department also is the main focal point for fingerprinting needed by teachers, nurses and other professions. He said the department provides close to 100 persons a week copies of their fingerprints for employment reasons. Schools require teachers – including substitutes, — aides, coaches, chaperones and others to get fingerprinted.
Gamelin said he also bought a portable fingerprinting unit that will allow the staff to go to a school or medical facility instead of having their new employees driving to the sheriff’s office in South Burlington.
The security contracts including the Champlain Housing Trust and the Burlington Housing Authority. There are also a couple of sites in Burlington, including the overnight shifts for Vermont Railway, Gamelin said.
The towns of Charlotte, Underhill, Jericho and Westford also contract for law enforcement from the sheriff’s department to supplement the random patrols Vermont State Police are able to provide.
Gamelin also has a Governor’s Highway Safety grant to funds a fulltime deputy to help oversee safety programs to over Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle Lamoille and Orleans. The programs include crackdowns on impaired drivers, seatbelt and child safety enforcement and school bus safety.
Gamelin’s department also spend considerable time dealing with eviction cases. He estimates that about 90 percent of the cases involve tenants that stopped paying rent long ago and continue to live unlawfully for free in the homes and apartments. The owners, citing their overdue mortgage payments, need tenants willing to pay their way, he said.
While serving as a deputy, Gamelin moonlighted as a part-time officer for Winooski Police (1989-2009) and Essex Police (2009-2022).